ECE Funding Handbook
Welcome to the ECE Funding Handbook. This handbook is issued under section 548(5) of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Funding of certain services and certified playgroups – New Zealand Legislation(external link)
The funding paid to licensed services is paid subject to the terms and conditions set out under this handbook and must be complied with. The terms used in this handbook are based in the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.
This handbook is designed to be a 'one-stop-shop' of everything you need to know about early childhood funding, including:
- the ECE Funding Subsidy
- 20 Hours ECE funding
- equity funding
- the annual top-up for isolated services.
This information does not apply to certificated playgroups
The information in the Funding Handbook does not apply to certificated playgroups.
These services should contact their Ministry regional office for more information.
Download the ECE Funding Handbook
If you would like to print a copy of this handbook, refer to the list of downloads in the contents section where you will find downloadable PDF versions of each chapter.
ECE Funding Handbook downloads
Chapter 9: Completing the RS7 Return
Overview
Introduction
The RS7 Early Childhood Funding Return (the RS7 Return) is the main funding return for early childhood education (ECE) services.
All ECE services (or the administrators of a service provider) must complete the RS7 Return in order to receive funding.
In this chapter
This chapter contains the following topics:
- Service profile information (removed April 2015): 9-1
- Calculating the ECE Funding Subsidy: 9-2
- Calculating the 20 Hours ECE Funding: 9-3
- Calculating the Staff Hour Count: 9-4
- Calculating advance days: 9-5
- Attestation of certificated teachers’ salaries: 9-6
- Claiming the Support Grant for Provisionally Registered Teachers (removed April 2015): 9-7
- Monitoring progress: teacher registration targets (removed April 2015): 9-8
- Monitoring progress: children receiving 20 Hours ECE (removed April 2015): 9-9
- Declaration: 9-10
Purpose of the RS7 Return
The RS7 Return tells the Ministry the number of funded child hours (FCHs) that are funded for each service, and the rate at which each FCH will be funded.
Payment cycle
The RS7 Return is completed three times a year:
- February (payment on the first working day in March).
- June (payment on the first working day in July).
- October (payment on the first working day in November).
See Section 2–4 for details of the funding cycle.
Providing your RS7 Return to the Ministry
Services provide their RS7 Return to Ministry as follows:
Services connected to ELI submit their RS7 Return electronically via ELI Web or their Student Management System (SMS).
Services not connected to ELI, send their RS7 Return by post, using the paper-based RS7 Return sent to them by the Ministry.
Note: Services completing a paper-based RS7 Return must complete and sign the forms in pen. Pencil must not be used. Completed RS7 Returns should be sent:
| By post to: | By Courier to: | By Email to: |
|
ECE Operational Funding Ministry of Education |
ECE Operational Funding Ministry of Education 1 The Terrace, Mezzanine floor Wellington 6011 |
Queries
If you have any questions about the RS7 Return or need help filling it in, please contact the Resourcing Contact Centre:
Phone: (04) 463 8383/ 0800 ECE ECE
ECE Email: resourcing@education.govt.nz
What will my RS7 look like?
The RS7 Return consists of several different sections.
The RS7 return will contain only those sections relevant to you.
The table below shows the sections of the RS7 return your service will receive and the pages in this Chapter where instructions can be found:
| Education & Care services, Hospital-based | Sessional Kindergartens | Mixed1 & All-Day Kindergartens | Home-Based Care Services | Play-centres | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECE Funding Subsidy Section 9-2 |
yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| 20 Hours ECE funding Section 9-3 |
yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Staff Hour Count Section 9-4 |
yes | no | yes | no | no |
| Attestation of certificated teachers’ salaries Section 9-6 |
yes | no | no | no | no |
| Support Grant for Provisionally Registered Teachers | This section was removed April 2015 | ||||
| Monitoring progress: teacher registration targets Section 9-8 |
This section was removed April 2015 | ||||
| Monitoring progress: children receiving 20 Hours ECE Section 9-9 |
This section was removed April 2015 | ||||
| Declaration Section 9-10 |
yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |